Private Jet Charter to Cuba
When planning for their kid’s Spring Break, the Burns family knew that they wanted to take their teenage kids on an adventure that they’d never forget. With their daughter and her friend about to graduate high school and move on to college and their son who was just about to start high school, they knew that the opportunity to have a memorable family vacation would become more and more difficult throughout the years. They eagerly decided on visiting the mystical country of Cuba.
They contacted us at Odyssey Airways to explore the option of using private jet travel to make sure that they could maximize their time together in Cuba and reduce the frustration that often accompanied them when traveling as a family on commercial airlines.
The family arrived at Signature Flight Support at Tampa International Airport around noon on Wednesday afternoon. Upon driving up to the building, our crew,Ryan and David, met them with a luggage cart at their car. While David brought the luggage out to their private aircraft waiting to whisk them away to Cuba,also known as the “Pearl of the Caribbean”, Ryan escorted the family to the private lobby where they relaxed in comfort and were given an overview of the flight and entrance into Cuba. All required documents were already completed by Odyssey Airways staff and the family had nothing to worry about other than how to prepare themselves for the beauty of seeing the country from their own private chartered aircraft.
Within 15 minutes, the family took a few photos outside of the aircraft, and were seated comfortably in the King Air B200 turboprop aircraft. The engines were started, the aircraft began its taxi, and shortly thereafter, they were airborne and on their way to Cuba. The flight was smooth and skies were clear so the family could enjoy the beautiful Tampa Bay, then Florida coastline, the waters of the Florida Keys, and, eventually, the shoreline of Cuba. Within 90 minutes, they arrived at Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, Cuba.
Once the engines were shut down and the cabin door was opened, it was immediately apparent to the Burns family that the genuine friendliness of the Cuban people were some of their best qualities. One Cuban airport authority worker, Andy,greeted Ryan and David with a handshake and a hug as they provided him with a soccer ball for him and his son, something that Andy had wished for the previous time the crew flew into Havana. The same friendly greeting was provided to the entire family as they were escorted through customs and immigration in the private terminal of the Havana airport.
The crew arranged for Javier and Arturo, two local Cuban taxi drivers, to drive the family to their casa particular.
For the next three days, the family visited the city, enjoyed the culture, ate at the famous “paladars” or privately-owned family restaurants, and exchanged ideas and stories with the locals.
By Saturday, Javier and Arturo took the family back to the airport where Ryan and David were awaiting to take them back to Tampa. Within minutes, they were on their way and crossing the Cuban shoreline leaving the country behind but a world of memories and stories to share. They reminisced all their stories and shared pictures with each other during the short flight.
The flight concluded with a gentle landing and a short visit to the private U.S.Customs and Border Protection Building. No lines, no hassle, no problems. The family cleared customs within 5 minutes and were back in their cars to enjoy the rest of their weekends back home with their friends and family. They had the whole weekend to share their stories and create envy among their friends.
